Mold for storage-battery grids and method of making the same.



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THOMAS SPENCER, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNEASSIGN- MENTS, TO NATIONAL CARBON COMPANY, INC., A CORPORATION OF NEWYORK.

MOLD FOR STORAGE-BATTERY GRIDS AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 28, 1917.

Application filed February 26, 1914. Serial'No. 821,144.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS SPENCER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State-ofPennsylvania, have invented a certain new and useful Improve- 'ment inMolds for Storage-Battery Grids and Methods of Making the Same, of whichthe following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to molds for storage battery grids and method ofmaking the molds. It is highly desirable that a storage battery grid bemade of a net work of metal having a large number of meshes whichfurnish paths for the current to all parts of the grid, and also retainthe oXid or other material securely therein. My improved grid iscomposed of an intricate metallic net work having a small amount ofmetal around a large amount of paste, and if a mold for casting the samewere made by cutting the configurations directly therein, it would be avery laborious and expensive process. I have devised a novel method,that differs radically from prior methods, whereby a mold may be madenot only for my improved grid but also for other grids. The details ofthe grid and mold for the same are set forth in the appended descriptionand illustrated in the annexed drawings in which:

Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a single element or strip of themold before being machined.

Fig. 2 shows in perspective the manner in which the ends of each stripare formed.

Fig. 8 shows a top view of a number of strips of one type stacked andgrooved.

Fig. 4 shows a top view of a number of stacked strips grooveddifferently from those of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 shows a top view of a number of stacked elements of the mold alsogrooved differently from those of either Figs. 3 or 4.

Fig. 6 1s a perspective view of one of the grooved elements of Fig. 4.

Fig. 7 is a front view of the lower element of Fig. 5.

Fig. 8 is an isometric view of one member of the frame for holding theindividual grooved elements.

Fig. 9is an isometric v1ew of one of the side members of the mold frame.I

Fig. 10 is a top view of the lower half of glliedmold with the elementsproperly assem- Fig. 11 is the end view of Fig. 10.

Fig. 12 is the bottom View of the upper half of the mold.

Fig. 13 is the plan View of the grid formed from the mold.

Fig. 14 is an enlarged plan view of a portion of the grid.

Fig. 15 is a cross section on the line AA of the portion of the gridshown in Fig. 14.

Fig. 16 is the modified form of a grid which may be made by the improvedprocess.

According to this invention one-half of the mold for making a storagebattery grid, instead of being made of a solid piece of metal, consistsof a large number of small strips 1 as shown in Fig. 1. In this specificcase each of the pieces 1 is of equal thickness, length and width,though the dimensions may of course be'varied. The ends 2 of the stripshave the form 3'shown in Fig. 2 so that the top 4 is somewhat narrowerthan the base 5.

The strips or elements 6 are divided into three stacks of substantiallythe same number of pieces and grooved in a suitable machine, in themanner shown in Figs. 3, 4, 5. In order to form a hexagonal grid, whichis the specific form herein illustrated, the group of elements 6 shownin Fig. 3 hasa number of equidistant grooves 6' cut therein. The groovesare made slightly wider at the top 7 than at the base 8 (Figs. 6 and 7)to provide the necessary draft for removing the grid. In this figure,the distance between .the edges 3 and the end grooves is one-half e thedistance between the individual grooves.

The membersshown in Figs. 4 and 6 are made in exactly the same manner asin Fig. 3 and have the grooves spaced the same distance apart as thegrooves 6'. The end grooves of the members 9, however, are a full spacefrom the end 3 so that the grooves 9' are staggered in relation to thegrooves 6'.

In Figs. 5 and 7, two series of parallel grooves 10 are cut on an angleof 30 and 120 degrees respectively with the longitudinal edge of theblocks 1. The horizontal distance between these diagonal grooves is and14. I

The form which supports the individual members 6, 9 and 11 consists of abase plate 12 having upwardly projecting members 13 and 14 at its ends,both of which may be integral therewith The cross sectional shape ofthese end members is the same as the individual pieces shown in Fig. 2,but the thickness is greater. The distance-between the two inner faces15 and 16 of the members 13 and 14 respectively is the same as thecombined thickness of the individual the base 12 by means of screws 19(Figs. 10

and 11). The inner faces 20 and 21 of these members are shaped tocorrespond with the angle of the ends 3 of the strips which rigidlyclamp them in the proper position. To provide an edge for the grid,channels 22, 23, 24 and 25 are formed in the members 13, 14, 17 and 18respectively which completely surround the built up structure. Thepassage 26 in the member 14 in Figs. 8 and 10 forms the mold for theterminal. For alining the two halves of the mold, holes 27 may be formedin each end of the frame for inserting dowel pins. The gate for pouringin the molten metal consists of a channel 28 (Figs. 9, 10 and 11) cutacross the face of the sides 17 and extending the entire length of thestructure.

The upper half of the mold shown in Fig. 12 is built up in the samemanner as the bottom from strips 6, 9 and 11. It differs only in havingthe strips 6, 9 and 11 combined in such a way that the individualhexagons are staggered in relation to those of the bottom half. This isdone by using one strip of 6, one of 11, two of 9, one of 11 (reversed),two of 6, etc. The upper frame in which the strips are built differsfrom the lower frame only in having the depression 26 as well as thegate 28 reversely arranged so that they will superpose with those of thelatter when the two molds are placed together.

Figs. 14 and 15 show the manner in which the hexagons, respectively castin the upper and lower portions of the mold, reinforce each other. Thesefigures also show the draft of the ribs. To avoid confusion the drafthas not been shown in Figs. 10, 12 and 13. In Figs. 10 and 12 it will benoticed that absolutely perfect hexagons are not" formed by this methodbecause the horizontal width of the vertical grooves is less than thecorresponding width of theangular the interstices of the other willfurthermore aid in holding the active material therein 30 and support itbetter tharuif the ribs are in alinement.

Considerable diificulty would beencoun tered in making a mold of thisform from integral pieces of metal. By the use of 35 small machinedstrips, however, this and other complex, olds may easily be built up, asall the stripslare interchangeable. Furthermore it will be possible toreplace worn or damaged portions and thus obviate the necessity ofrenewing the entire mold.

Instead of using the two strips as shown in Fig. 3 to form the verticalsides of the hexagon one strip of double thickness can be used. It is,of course, obvious that three or more strips 6 could be used to make asort of oblong hexagon if desired.

It will be apparent that molds may be made up for other forms of gridsthan the 'lel strips, the upper surfaces of adjoining strips beinggrooved in different directions to intersect and form a plurality ofclosed figures on the upper surface of the combined strips, and meansadapted to hold the strips together.

3. A mold for storage battery electrodes consisting of a plurality ofadjoining parallel strips of similar form, the upper surfaces ofadjoining strips being grooved in different directions to intersect andform a plurality of closed figures on the upper surface of the combinedstrips, a support for said strips and means adapted to secure the stripsto the support.

4. A mold for storage battery electrodes consisting of a support,aplurality of adjoining parallel strips having their ends of similarform and the upper surfaces of adjoining strips being grooved indifferent directions to form a plurality of closed figures on the uppersurface of the combined strips,

'a frame adapted to engage the ends of the lel strips of similar formplaced between.

said end members, the upper surfaces of adjoining strips being groovedin, different directions to intersect and form a plurality of closedfigures on the upper surface of the combined strips, and a side memberadapted to be attached to said support to secure the strips thereto.

6. A mold for storage battery electrodes consisting of a support havingprojecting end members. one of said end members having a channel adaptedto form a projecting lug, a plurality of adjoining parallel strips ofsimilar form between said ends, the upper surfaces of adjoining stripsbeing grooved in difierent directions to intersect and form a pluralityof closed figures on the upper surface of the combined strips, and sidemembers adapted to be attached to said support to secure the stripsthereto. a

7. A separable mold for storage battery electrodes, consisting of twosimilarly formed members adapted to be placed together, each consistingof a support, a plurality of adjoining parallel strips grooved indifferent directions to intersect to form a plurality of closed figureson the upper surface of the combined strips, means for clamping thecombined strips to the support and a gate for admitting molten metal tothe hollow intermediate space.

8. A mold for storage battery electrodes consisting of a plurality ofadjoining parallel strips of similar form having spaced grooves in thecorresponding faces, said strips consisting of a set diagonally groovedin two directions, a set perpendicularly grooved adapted to join thesaid diagonal grooves when placed alongside the strips of the firstmentioned set, a third set having differently spaced perpendiculargrocves also adapted to join the diagonal grooves in the strips of saidfirst mentioned set when placed alongside, whereby the various groovedstrips maybe repeated in such a manner as to form suitable figures andmeans adapted to hold the strips together.

9. A mold for storage battery electrodes consisting of a plurality ofadjoining parallel strips, one strip being diagonally grooved in twodirections, a second strip on one side of the first mentioned striphaving perpendicular grooves joining the diagonal grooves thereof, athird strip on the other side of the first mentioned strip havingdifferently spaced perpendicular grooves joining the diagonal groovesthereof, and a fourth strip on the other side of the third strip havingdiagonal grooves joining with the grooves of the said third strip.

10. A method of making a storage battery mold which consists inassembling a plurality of strips of similar form into three groups,cutting a plurality of spaced diagonal channels in the face of onegroup, cutting a plurality of-perpendicular grooves in the second group,cutting a plurality of perpendicular grooves in the third group but instaggered relation to those of the second group, and re-assembling thestrips to form a mold of the desired configuration.

' 11. A method of building up a, storage battery mold, which consists incutting in the face of a plurality of strips two sets of equidistantgrooves inclined in opposite directions, cutting in the face of anotherplurality of strips perpendicular grooves spaced apart the samelongitudinal distance as the grooves of the first 'mentioned strips andplacing one strip with inclined grooves and another with perpendiculargrooves alternately in said frame with grooves of adjacent stripsjoining together.

12. A methodof building up a storage battery mold, which consists inassembling a plurality of'strips of similar form into three groups,cutting in one group two sets of grooves inclined in oppositedirections,

cutting perpendicular grooves in the second group, cutting perpendiculargrooves in the third group staggered in vrelation to the,

C. W. GULDEN, Ron H. KLAUDER.

